Level Infinite (a Tencent global game brand) and Esports World Cup Foundation announced Monday that popular MOBA title Honor of Kings will join the upcoming Esports World Cup this summer in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as a key competitive title.
The Honor of Kings Invitational Midseason will see 12 teams from around the world compete for a prize pool of $3M USD and be crowned the Honor of Kings Invitational Championship later this year. The Honor of Kings Invitational Midseason will kick off in August. The first invited team to be revealed is China’s King Pro League team, Dream Team. More teams will be unveiled soon, according to a release.
“The Esports World Cup is an exciting and unique opportunity to bring international esports recognition to the world’s most played mobile MOBA title,” said James Yang, Senior Director of Level Infinite Global Esports Center, Tencent Games. “Honor of Kings is the latest example of our commitment to the mobile esports space, as we continue to prioritize our investment in the esports landscape. We can’t wait to kick off the launch of the Global Invitational Series with the Honor of Kings Invitational Season One on March 2 in Istanbul, and to offer aspiring competitive players from around the world the chance to become a champion through a new global mobile esport.”
This news follows Tencent’s recent announcement of the Global Invitational Series, the new Honor of Kings esports circuit, and the company’s $15M commitment to the growth of Honor of Kings esports ecosystem.
On Feb. 21, Honor of Kings will also launch in new regions including the Middle East, North Africa, Türkiye, Eastern Europe, and South Asia.
The Esports World Cup Foundation is the governing body of the Esports World Cup (formerly Gamers8), which is backed by the Saudi Esports Federation and funded in part by the Saudi Arabian government’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund. The PIF also owns Savvy Games Group, which in turn owns ESL FACEIT Group and its subsidiaries—Esports Engine and Vindex.